Glass washing device

ABSTRACT

Drinking glasses are washed in a device having a brush assembly which is slidably mounted on a vertical post extending upwardly from a supporting base. A spring normally urges the brush assembly in an upper position. A link has its opposite ends swiveled respectively to said base and to said brush assembly to cause said assembly to turn about the axis of said post when a glass is inserted in said assembly and pressed downwardly towards said base.

United States Ratent Zipper Sept. 5, 1972 [54] GLASS WASHING DEVICE [72] inventor: Walter J. Zipper, 463 Mesa Road,

Santa Monica, Calif. 90402 [22] Filed: March 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 124,025

[52] US. Cl ..15/76 [51] Int, Cl ..B67c H04 [58] Field ofSeai-ch ..15/75, 76, 101,211,213, 56, 15/71 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,258,895 10/1941 Jakubowski et a1. ..15/76 2,571,902 10/1951 Lever ..15/76 2,847,688 9/1958 Croteau ..15/76 Primary Examiner-Edward L. Roberts AttorneyLyon & Lyon ABSTRACT Drinking glasses are washed in a device having a brush assembly which is slidably mounted on a vertical post extending upwardly from a supporting base. A spring normally urges the brush assembly in an upper position. A link has its opposite ends swiveled respectively to said base and to said brush assembly to cause said assembly to turn about the axis of said post when a glass is inserted in said assembly and pressed downwardly towards said base.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEBsEr 5 m2 [NYENTOR W44 762 J. Z/PREE 516-. 5.

GLASS WASHING DEVICE The present invention relates to improved means and techniques for washing drinking glasses of the type used in restaurants and bars.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved glass washing apparatus which is relatively simple, rugged, yet embodying a mechanism which produces a turning action of brushes inside of and around the lip of the glass when and as the glass is manually inserted for washing purposes.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of this character incorporating a unique mechanism that causes brushes to be automatically rotated when and as a glass is inserted over a brush and pressed downwardly thereby avoiding the necessity of a manual turning of the glass about its axis to achieve thorough cleaning.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide apparatus of this character which is small, portable and adapted for placement in a container containing a soap or cleaning fluid.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of one of the glass washing devices embodying features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and also FIG. 2 shows one of the glasses intended to be cleaned inserted between the brush assembly preparatory to movement of the glass and brush assembly downwardly.

FIG. 3 shows the brush assembly in its lowermost position after being rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2.

One of the two glass washing devices, which are normally assembled in pairs so that a person may wash two glasses at one time, is illustrated in FIG. 1 in its uppermost position. Such structure involves a stationary base for resting on the bottom of a container containing soap or cleaning liquid 11. Extending upwardly and screwed within such base is a stationary guide rod or post 12, and the upper end of such rod 12 has mounted thereon a washer 13 serving as a stop member, such washer being secured by a screw 14.

The brush assembly having the general reference numeral 16 is slidably mounted on this rod 12 and for that purpose the assembly 16 includes a bushing 18 threaded into the hollow cylindrical portion 20 to which the series of brushes 22 is secured. It is noted that the bushing 18 has a flanged portion abutting the underside of an apertured supporting disc 24, and that such disc 24 has mounted thereon an outer ring shaped structure on which is mounted an inwardly extending series of brushes 28.

A glass to be washed illustrated as G in FIG. 2 is shown in inverted cleaning position, and it will be seen that all interior surfaces of the glass G are contacted by the inner series of brushes 22 and that the outer lip portion of the glass G is contacted by the series of inwardly extending brushes 28. The glass G is thus disposed between the brushes 22 and 28 after which the glass is pressed downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3.

An important feature of this construction is that a glass G positioned as shown in FIG. 2 and pressed downwardly causes a rotation of the base 24 and the brushes 22, 28 carried thereon so as to obviate the necessity for a manual rotation of the glass itself. In other words, the person cleaning the glasses need not exert any turning action on the glasses.

It will be seen that the disc 24 is normally maintained in its position shown in FIG. 2 by a pretensioned coil compression spring 30 having its lower end extending into a sleeve portion 10a of base 10 and having its upper end bearing against the flanged portion of bushing 18. Upward movement of the disc 24 is limited as a result of engagement of the upper end of bushing 18 with the washer 13 that serves as a stop member.

To achieve a turning movement of the brush assembly 16 in a simple expedious manner, a link 40 interconnects the stationary base 10 with the disc 24. This link 40 is mounted in a special manner with both of its upper ends being permitted to pivot and also to swivel. For that purpose, the upper and lower ends of the link or lever 40 are each loosely pin connected by means of pins 42 and 43 respectively to a corresponding modified cylindrical element 44, 45 which are retained by a corresponding screw 46, 47 with, however, the cylindrical elements 44, 45 being permitted to turn or swivel about their axis. It will be noted that the link 40 as seen in FIG. 2 extends generally parallel with the axis of the stem or rod 12 but is laterally displaced therefrom.

This construction causes the brushes 22, 28 to be rotated when and as the glass G is moved from its upper position shown in FIG. 2 to its lower position shown in FIG. 3, and such rotation is in the direction indicated by the arrows 50.

The movement of the disc 24 carrying such brushes 22, 28 is limited by engagement of the flange portion of bushing 18 with the upper end of the sleeve portion 10a of base 10.

There is a second rotation of the brush assembly 22, 28 when the person releases that pressure that originally caused the downward movement of the glass, in which case the brush structure 22,28 rotates in a direction opposite to that shown in FIG. 3.

This device makes glass washing easier and less tiring on the wrists because no wrist movement is required to turn the glass with respect to the brushes.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Iclaim:

1. Cleaning apparatus incorporating a stationary base, a post extending upwardly from such base, a brush assembly slidably mounted on said post (base); spring means acting between said base and said ason said assembly such as to achieve a rotation of said assembly on said post and about the axis of said post in the downward movement of said assembly towards said base. 

1. Cleaning apparatus incorporating a stationary base, a post extending upwardly from such base, a brush assembly slidably mounted on said post (base); spring means acting between said base and said assembly and normally urging the said assembly in an upper position on said post; and a link interconnected between said base and said assembly and having one of its ends swively mounted on said base (structure) and having the other one of its ends (end) swively mounted on said assembly such as to achieve a rotation of said assembly on said post and about the axis of said post in the downward movement of said assembly towards said base. 